Monday, 22 November 2010

Christmas Challenge

I know some may think tis not the season but I refuse, point blank, to be dragged into guilt Christmas present buying.

Last year I witnessed a rather well grown teenager rush through opening and discarding a literal mound of presents looking for the one expensive item they 'had to have'. And when it didn't materialise? Burst into tears. Unacceptable. I don't like being dragged into competitive materialistic present shopping. It takes away the spirit of Christmas.

Now Christmas is a 'Christian' holiday as such but lets face it.. the great unwashed sees it as time off work, a big meal and presents. I don't like to buy into that mentality and this year I'm taking a stand. Christmas to me means festive decorations to brighten up the dark of winter, thinking back on the good times this year has brought and the great times that are still to come. Christmas to me means being surrounding by loved ones, family, friends and filling the air with laughter. Sitting down, taking the time to just relax and reconnect over good food with good people and sharing your love for each other.

So, to the challenge - I am going to buy Christmas presents for everyone with a £5 per person limit and I cannot buy sweets/chocolate, smellies or vouchers. I live in London for goodness sake - if I can't go and be creative in the big smoke then where can I?? This is important to me - I want to show that Christmas is not about the large, waste of money, plastic gift. Instead it is about the act of giving a piece of yourself to your loved ones and showing them that you care.

Now I realise this means that you know how much your Christmas present cost but I hope you will be able to join into the spirit of things and not measure the value of a gift on how much it cost to buy. Tis the season after all.

GoodReads

Despite being the classic guide to writing non fiction, this book is excellent for any and all aspiring writers. Zinsser deals with style, pace, finding your voice and remembering your audience. He warns us away from cliches and encourag...

It's more of a 3.5 than a 3 to be fair. I liked the continuation of Leiter, I enjoyed the descriptions of Harlem and Mr Big and his voodoo - I have not seen the film. The danger and the tricks and the flesh eating fish are all great touc...

At first I felt too old to be reading this book, it felt very definitely young however as my imagination started to build the clankers and Darwinians I managed to get past it. A slow start but once I was able to sit for a spell and reall...